Jet lighter



Dec. 6, 1949 H. R. MONTAGUE JET LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 10, 1947 m CI INVENTOR.

Dec. 6, 1949 H. R. MONTAGUE JET LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 10, 1947 FIG'JS INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I I JET LIGHTER Homer R. Montague, Washington, D. 0. Application January 10, 1947, Serial No. 721,232 4 Claims. (01. 677.1)

This application relates to improvements in the invention of my copending application Serial No. 599,793, filed June 16, 1945.

My present invention, like that disclosed in the above-mentioned application, relates to automatic jet lighters of the type in which a single conveniently located control is operable to perform both the functions of igniting the flame of the lighter and producing the desired lateral jet. In my earlier case referred to, the operation of the manual control either operates to release the stored energy of a spring in order to open the cover of the lighter and perform the igniting function, or it operates in conjunction with an over-center spring driven cover member to first partly open the cover, storing energy in the spring, which then throws the cover the rest of the way and performs the igniting function. In either form of that invention, the operation of raising the cover, through suitable linkage, spins an ordinary striking wheel against a flint to accomplish the ignition.

I have found that it is possible to dispense completely with the springs which drive the cover member, by suitably designing the manually operated member and the cover member, so that the manual member acts directly upon the cover member, to raise it completely to open position and perform the ignition. Among the advantages of this improved construction are that a much more positive igniting action is obtained, the construction is simplified and rendered more fool-proof, and. inadvertent operation of the igniting device is made practically impossible. At the same time, due to the reduction in the number of parts, the cost of manufacture is greatly reduced. The last named advantage is also contributed to by the fact that the efiicacy of the improved lighter is less dependent upon the accumay with which certain of the parts are formed, whereby more liberal manufacturing tolerances are permissible.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, reference being made to the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment of my improved. lighter. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the complete lighter, with the cover closed,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of alone,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the manually operated member and associated parts,

Fig. 4 is a partial s de elevation of the upper the cover member portion only of the lighter, the cover being in an intermediate position,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but with the cover member in its completely open position,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the lighter with the cover closed,

Fig. 7 is a sectional bushing,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the pump mechanism, taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of a modified form of igniter pawl.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the lighter comprises a body portion In closed at its upper end by a mechan sm plate l2 which may, of course, be integral with the portion [0, and closed at its lower end by a plate 14. The joints between these two plates and the body portion are made air tight. Extending through the body portion, and secured to the upper and lower plates, is the usual flint tube I6 containing a fiint and its backing spring, the latter being maintained in a compressed condition by a screw l8. A filling opening in the bottom plate [4 is closed by a screw plug 20, as is common, and the usual cotton packing or the like may be used within the chamber formed by the body portion, to retain a liquid fuel therein. A wick 24 is mounted so as to pass through the mechanism plate 12 by a bushing 22, and a jet tube 26 passes through the same plate at a point adjacent the bushing 22.

view of one form of wick Jet tube 26 has a jet orifice 28 through which fuel vapor forced out of the fuel chamber passes to draw the flame of wick 24 into the desired jet, as disclosed in my previous application referred to.

Secured to mechanism plate l2, or integral therewith, are two upright supports 30 and 32, as best seen in Fig. 6. Threadedly received in the respective supports are filister-head screws 34 and 36, the heads of which act as bearings for the pivoted cover member 33, shown in perspective in Fig. 2. The usual striking wheel 38 is journalled between supports 30 and 32, and is provided with a plurality of spaced pins 46 adapted to be engaged I by a pawl 42 pivotally mounted in cover member 33 (Fig. 1), and which pawl is provided with a tailpiece 44 so formed as to engage the under side of the top of the cover member 33 to limit the arc of its swing under the impulse of the spring 45.

The front edge of cover member 33 is cut away, as at 46 (Fig. 2), so that when the cover member is raised, its front edge will wick 24. A windshield 41 is secured to plate [2 so clear the flame from With thelighter in closedposition, as in Fig. 1,v

as to be overlapped by edge 46 of the cover memher when the latter is in its closed position.

That portion 48 of the lower edge of the cover member which extends rearwardly of the pivots 34, S6, is of an arcuate configuration centered on the axis of such pivots, so that the amount of opening movement of the cover member is not restricted. The top surface of the cover member is curved downwardly behind the pivot axis as shown in Fig. 2, gstopping approximately in the horizontal plane through the pivot axis, to provide a pair of substantially horizontal wings 5i) adapted to be engaged by the manually operable member as described below.

Also mounted on mechanism plate l2, but extending down into the fuel chamber is :a pump mechanism best shown in Fig. 8. ;The pump comprises a barrel 52 closed at its upper end by a plug 53 which is bored to support, for slidingmovement, the piston 54. ;.Secured to the lower end'zofitheglpistonris 1a cup-like washer-of. thin 1 metal or leather or the like. .A SDIillQxzfiB llOfmallyl forcesrthe piston: upwardly, there fbeing? an orifice. 55;. in-the plugm;53-.-so--that air,-behind.-- the-washer,.Etxmay-readily escape, andproviding an ingress for air to be pumped into the chamber..- Thei'lower endotbarrel .52.is closedebya plug-r 60 which carries a check valve 62 of any desired construction, and i arranged .assto .allow. air to pass from the pump to thesichambenubutnot in .3 the: opposite direction;

The piston 54 of the pump extends upwardly. as shown :in Fige l, passing. :between. theswingse. 50 otcovermembere33; and is secured to the top; of manuallyoperable member. 783,. asby a screw. 12. Hence,.-.IeCiprOCatiOIl;;0f the-manually op. erabie member willacausezairato bendrawn. into thespace behind the. cup.. .washer..56,whilev air... in front of the washer .Willbeforced. into, the. fuel chamber and produce the desired jet fromorific'e 28 of..tube.26. .The cup. .Washer. functions as its owncheicke'valve, sothat it is unnecessary to pro-. vide..a separate checkjtherefor as inmy prior. application referred to above.

The operation of the device willnow be clear.

pressure is applied downwardlyupon member it, preferablyby'th'e' thumb of the same hand whichholds 'the lig'hter. Engagement between the top of member wand the-wings of the cover mem- 50 her-causes the cover member'to rotate, asshown in Fig: 4, turning thefiint wheel "and igniting the primary flameat wick 2 33 Continued move-=- ment of the member 10 raises thecover all the way; to ihepositionshown in- Fig15, after which member llrmaybea-moved upanddown 'to "provide continuous pressure to the' fuel chamber,- andhencexthe jet 'is maintained asslong: as desired. To close the-lighter and'nextinguish :the flame, all .ithat'i's necessaryis tOIIIlOVGthB. thumb from member :l'0;over*to cover eaten-dpress-it idown to its. closed position: 1

The usual snufifervcup "for jwick 24::may be securedeto .the;.-inside-of-. cover :member :33,:.where it acts not only. {to-snuff the avick, but to maintain-a good-seal against bushing. zz'and -hence reduce-:the-loss of'fuel throughevaporation;

Pressure,;which;.is built up intherfuel pump due to iEtCtiO-ITOf :the pump is transmitted to pressure-in i theohamber; from which: it is releasedzgo principally through the jet orifice 28. Howevent- I have-found that a certain amount of thispres sureis also-lost. throughthe intersticesof the wicke24, -which- .-form.-a leakage path parallel :to

that: through .-the...jet .tube' 26: This-.undesir d' lfi to the. .upper end leakage path may be rendered unobjectionable by maintaining a very tight fit between wick 24 and bushing 22. In order to accomplish this result without making it unduly difiicult to thread a new wick in the bushing when required, I may use a bushing such as that shown in Fig. 7, which is provided with a taper threaded shank 23 having two or more longitudinal slots 23 therein. When a new wick is to be installed, the bushing 22 is screwed. out iof mechanism plate I2 and the new wick inserted in pIa'ce of the old one. Bushing 22 is then returned to its threaded seat inane plate l2, the action of threading it into placecausing the shank 23 to compress the material of the wick and hence providing a very high resistancejeakagerpath for the pressure in chamber In. The compression of the wick does not, of course, interfere'with'- the transmission of fuel of the wick, since such transmission is largely capillaryrmoreover, the rate at which fuel-must pass .throughthe bushing is very slow. as compared. with the. rateatwhich gas pres sure leakage would have to occur. to constitute a serious drain. on the pressurein the chamber. It is also possibletouse a cylinder of suitable ceramic.material. .for...the .wick, since certain grades of ceramic are sufiiciently -porous to transmitv adequate .liquidfuel through the mechanism plate, whileimaintaining a fairly effective seal.

against. .pressure leakage. ...Such ceramic wicks alsohave theadvantage, of very long life, since theyareby natureincombustibleu, However, I do notwish to :be restrictedto any. particular kind of wick,since.myinrention doesnotdepend for its operation .upon the usevof anyspecial kind.

Instead-v of using.a pawl such as 42 of Fig. 1, which required a separate spring for .its operation, the pawlandspring. maybe made-.in one piece. As shown in. Fig. ,9, such:a pawl may comprise a bodyportionzr, a hook 43,and.a springy tailpiece M -adapted to engagethe roof of the cover member 33 so as to maintain spring tension on the pawl At the same time, abutment 45' serves to engage the roof'on-the other side of the pivot to preventthe- .pawl-rfromswinging too far down when-the cover is open.

Having described a specific embodiment of my invention-I wish it to be understood that the details.ofconstructionishown are merely exemplary, andvthat many modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention xasrdefinedw inthe appended 1 claims.

I claim:

1. In a pocket-lighter, -a body portion adapted to contain'fuel, a wick and a jet tube mounted on said body portion, :a cover member mounted for rotation :onzsaid body portion, igniting. means adapted-,to be'operated bymovement of said cover memberzfrom closed to open position, means for producing pressure in said jet tube, and a membernadapted'to ,be' manually reciprocated to operate said pressure producing means, said reciprocablamember being so located with respect to said cover member as to drive the latter from closed to open position in one full stroke of said reciprocable member..

2. In a lighter, ignitionmeans, jet producing means, a cover connected to said ignition means to operate the same by movement from covering to uncovering position, a manually operable member adapted to rotate said cover from covering to uncovering position, said member remaining in contact with said :cover substantially throughout the lattensuncovering-movementyand an opera- ;'wick pivotally mounted for movement to an undcovering position, an operative connection between said cover member and said ignition means,

a manually operable member adapted to drive said cover member by contact therewith throughout its movement to uncovering position, and an operative connection between said manually operable member and said jet producing means. HOMER R. MONTAGUE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,700,021 Bruckmann Jan. 22, 1929 15 2,005,557 Penney June 18, 1935 2,318,327 Phillips May 4, 1943 

